Over the summer, we attended our first Beer Bloggers Conference in Tampa. One of the perks of going was getting to meet reps from different breweries, but when a man dressed in a cow costume is serving the beer, every expectation of what a conference is changes. To be honest, I had no idea that we were meeting the founder/owner of JDub’s. I mean…seriously!?!?! Who dresses in a cow costume to serve beer???

That answer became crystal clear. A brewery whose founder is willing to take a risk, to put himself out there, confident in his brew…that is the man in a cow costume. Since brewing his first batch of what he refers to as “horrible,” Jeremy Joerger has been on a mission to bring “Quality, Innovation and Culture” to the Sarasota and Tampa Bay craft beer scene.

In the five short years since the decision to build a brewery in Sarasota was made, JDub’s Brewing has become one of the fastest growing breweries in the state–maxing out their current facility and now, brewing their flagship brands at Lakeland’s Brew Hub. With beers like Passion Wheat and Poolside Kolsch, JDub’s focuses on creating unique flavor combinations that are a perfect compliment to the Florida culture and lifestyle.

For the Craft Beer in Desserts Showcase, JDub’s has also double challenged us to create TWO desserts using their Passion Wheat, a 4.2% abv wheat ale made with passion fruit and mango, AND their Bell Cow, a 5.6% abv milk chocolate porter. Since Passion Wheat was my summer go-to beer, creating a dessert highlighting the fruit notes, and since I drink Bell Cow as a dessert drink, creating an actual dessert will surely include lots of chocolate!!

Those attending our Craft Beer in Desserts Showcase will enjoy samples of BOTH dessert, as well as tastings of each beer that went into creating the desserts. Join us on November 12 at the Wharf in Orange Beach, Alabama!